Recipe // Sheet Pan Spaghetti Squash – the easy way

“A few months ago – during a particular post-New Years ‘carb free’ resolution – I suggested instead of pasta, we make Spaghetti Squash. We now eat it at least once a month.”

I am constantly evaluating what I eat. Mostly because I’m the kind of person who could eat either a head of broccoli or a pint of ice cream – depending on what letter the day ends in. So sometimes I cut out refined sugar. Sometimes I cut out anything processed. And sometimes I cut out carbs. This recipe came from when I was carb-free, but you’d never know it if you were eating it.

Previous to this, I had only made Spaghetti Squash once – in third grade as part of a “cooking day.” It was the weirdest thing to me. A few months ago – during a particular post-New Years “carb free” resolution – I suggested instead of pasta, we make Spaghetti Squash. We now eat it at least once a month.

If you’re looking for a way to get your veggies – while still eating comfort food – this is the single best way.

Recipe // Sheet Pan Spaghetti Squash – the easy way

Warning: I am not a professional chef. I do not use exact measurements. I provide guidelines. Season everything to your own taste. Leave out what you want to eat. Add what you enjoy. Take your time. Make with care. Assemble. Prep. Cook!

Makes: 3 dinner meals for two hungry people (6 meals overall)Time: 5 min Prep Time, 60 min Cook TimeSurvives: 3 – 4 days in the fridgeBang for your Buck: $ // Probably the cheapest thing I’ve ever made. A spaghetti squash is only $3 at our local store – and if you make your own tomato sauce its even cheaper than store bought!

// Ingredients

– 1 spaghetti squash // get the biggest one in the batch. You’re gonna want to eat the whole thing.
– 2 tbsp of olive oil
– 1 bottle of marinara sauce or make Gubs’ House Marinara

// Prep

– Preheat the oven to 375° F
– If your squash was in the fridge (which is should be unless you just bought it 10 minutes ago), put the squash in the oven while the oven preheats – for about 5 minutes. Take it out when the squash has a good layer of sweat on it. // This makes the squash easier to cut.

// Cook

– With your squash all nice and sweaty, cut off the stem.
– Now cut the squash lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Go pretty far down until there’s no little strings on it. Just “flesh.”
– Rub the inside of the squash – both the hole and the flat side – with some olive oil
– Now rub the insides with a quick dusting of salt and garlic salt. // If you like black pepper, you can do a wee dusting of that as well – but I find that it too easily overpowers the squash, so I leave it out.
– Place the halves on a cookie sheet with the cut-side down
– Cook for 50 minutes
– OPTIONAL // While the squash cooks, make Gubs’ House Marinara– At 50 minutes, remove the squash from the over. Take a fork and slightly tear away at the edges of the squash. Strands of squash – that look like spaghetti (hence the name) should pull away from the edge. Don’t rip it all out right now – just slightly
– Once you have some fringy-separation, put the squash back onto the pan with the cut side UP.
– Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
– Take out the squash when the fringes are shiny and slightly transparent
– Take a fork and rip that sucker out! Grab all that squashy goodness and put it into a vessel. You can go down all the way to right before the rind. // There is the rind and then there is a thin film above the rind. Don’t get the film.
– Dispose of the empty hulks.
– Once it’s all out, sprinkle some salt and garlic salt over the squash and mix well. Do this to taste.

Eating Now // Serve immediately topped with hot marinara sauce – and demolish that plate. If you aren’t doing no carb week, serve this with some garlic bread. It goes wonderfully.

Eating Later // Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a thin layer of olive oil across the entire bottom of the pan. Add a sprinkle of garlic salt to the oil. When the oil is shimmering and hot, add the squash almost in a sheet – an even, thin layer of squash across the pan. Cook until the bottom side starts to sweat and turns golden. Flip it over and get some heat through it. Serve immediately with hot marinara. Will keep pretty well for 4 days in fridge.

If you squint your eyes, it looks like pasta. If you put it in your mouth, it tastes like it too.

Scorecard // No-carbs, all comfort

EASE TO MAKE: 5/5

– The squash you just cut and cook. The marinara you just cut and cook. Simple as it gets.

TIME TO MAKE: 3/5

This is a little long for dinner. We like to keep things around 30 minutes – but the hour is so worth it.

LEFTOVER-ABILITY: 4/5

You wouldn’t think this would heat well, but it does – and it tastes just the same as day one. Just be careful – heating it on the stove will cause shrinkage.

TASTINESS: 5/5

This is love. Foots cannot get enough of it. Whenever we make it, he says “Can we make this again next week?” The “pasta” is garlicy. The sauce (if you use mine) is spicy. The tomato is sweet. It’s absolutely a perfect weekday meal.

REDO-ABILITY: 5/5

We make this at least once a month. It is absolutely one of our favorites. We never get tired of it.

FINAL JUDGEMENT: 4.4/5

This is a great way to keep a comfort food low-carb. It’s also a great way to try a veggie you’ve never had before! We absolutely love this and I think you will do.

Do you know a recipe I should try? Or do you know a restaurant that does this recipe really well? Let me know! In the Contact Tab!